Investigators: Cigarette Caused UNO Dorm Fire

(AP) — Investigators with the Omaha Fire Department say a discarded cigarette on an outdoor balcony led to the blaze that gutted much of a University of Nebraska at Omaha student apartment building.

The fire Wednesday afternoon destroyed the roof and third floor of the three-story building that housed 50 students. No students were injured.

Investigators say the fire started on a second-floor balcony of the building, where smoking is banned. University policy allows smoking on campus, but only outdoors and at least 10 feet from any building entrance.

After firefighters declared the building was safe to enter, UNO officials on Thursday allowed students who lived in the building’s second and third floors to retrieve personal items.